On this, the high holiday of magic, metal and horror, Richmond doomsters Windhand have graced us with a gift combining all three in the form of a Hammer Horror–inspired psychedelic video for "Red Cloud" from their latest full-length Eternal Return. Brought to life by masterful video director Zev Deans, the clip focuses on an evil priest and his assistant as they conjure the form of a beautiful woman through lightning, a captured heart and a blackened spell.
Though the final product is less than desirable by the magician himself, she makes a lovely companion for Igor, the hunchback assistant. The two scurry off into the night, hand in undesirable hand, as the heavy strains of buzzing riffs and Dorthia Cottrell's angelic voice anoint the unholy union. The whole scene recalls the glory days of British folk horror, with its Technicolor camp and vibrant, larger-than-life settings and costumes.
Deans has stretched his directorial wings in many directions over the years, but this harkens back to his earlier work, such as psych-rockers Naam's 2012 Crowleyan epic "Starchild." Stark aesthetics and a commitment to the surreality of forefathers like Jodorowsky and Bava combine to make "Red Cloud" a Halloween classic for the occult rock ages.
